Fed: McLaughlin sentencing deferred

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2000
Fed: McLaughlin sentencing deferred

GOULBURN, NSW, Feb 1 AAP - The sentencing of a 22-year-old meatworker convicted of
the manslaughter of his former girlfriend was deferred today when an administrative mishap
left him sitting in Parklea Jail rather than in Goulburn Supreme Court.

Paull (Paull) Francis McLaughlin, 22, of Goulburn, was to appear for sentence after
a jury in December found him not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of schoolgirl
Adele Kathleen Smith, 16, as she lay in a hospital bed in Goulburn on May 29, 1998.

Miss Smith, a keen horse rider with a long-standing back problem, was in hospital recovering
from a back operation when she was shot in the face with a sawn-off 22-calibre rifle.

McLaughlin told the court he intended to kill himself after the breakdown of their
relationship but the gun accidentally discharged while it was pointed in her direction.

In court today, acting Justice Jeremy Badgery-Parker said an administrative error meant
McLaughlin was not before the court so the case would not proceed.

"That is unfortunate but there is nothing I can do except set a new date," he said.

He fixed Tuesday, February 15 for the sentencing.

Officials said outside the court the problem occurred because no warrant had been issued
to bring McLaughlin from Parklea Jail in Sydney to Goulburn.

AAP mb/lw/de

KEYWORD: MCLAUGHLIN

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